


Remember Not By Sound, But By Touch

by quiet_or_die



Series: One Piece Drabbles [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Chapter 1 is Pre-Dressrosa, Chapter 2 is Pre-Wano, Chapter 2 is more upbeat and has more actual dialogue, Gen, Law and Robin bonding, Law and Robin have been through a lot but they've also grown a lot and both are pretty stable, Law is not suicidal but is prepared for death in Chapter 1, Not Beta Read, TW: mentions of trauma, but Law muses about his past and the resulting trauma and about Robin's past and trauma, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten their pasts or been "cured", lots of introspection because Law has a loooot of thoughts, nothing specific or graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25173637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quiet_or_die/pseuds/quiet_or_die
Summary: The road to friendship:Stage 1: “I could talk to Nico-ya, or I could just keep sitting here staring intensely into the abyss while musing over the commonalities between our tragic backstories.”Stage 2: “Why discuss boring stuff like trauma, when you can bond over geeking out about coins? Not that I’m excited to share my collection with anyone or anything. . . .”Stage 3: “Let me just give you this gift that means the world to you. You just take it and say thank you like normal (like you do when I hand you a cup of coffee). And now we’ll both act like this never happened. It was a moment. A moment that ended.”
Series: One Piece Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744621
Comments: 19
Kudos: 55





	1. Some Things Are Not Meant to Be Spoken

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is Pre-Dressrosa.
> 
> A couple notes about my interpretation of Law:
> 
> First: It always bothers me when I see the quote about the weak not getting to chose how they die attributed to Law as his trademark or iconic quote. That phrase is Law quoting Doflamingo. Whether he does or does not agree with that statement (I will not get into that meta here lol) doesn't matter: it should not be used as his trademark. To me his iconic quote is this:
> 
> "It's been two years after the war! Exactly who put what into motion? You only kept the peace. Whitebeard only put an end to the last era. The marines have been preparing a new battle force! They haven't challenged any of the big names. . . . as if they were preparing for something. That war was just a prelude. You always said it. Together with an unstoppable wave! The new era of the great ones will come! I've destroyed the gears, and no one can turn them back."
> 
> Second: I disagree with the opinion that Law did not plan to live after Dressrosa. He was prepared to die there, yes, but if he had not planned for anything past that then none of his actions make sense. If his goal was only Doflamingo and death, why bother sending his crew to Zou, why care about the Strawhats surviving, why send Nami and the others on to Zou . . . there are so many things that don't add up. Yes, he targets Doflamingo, and yes that's personal. But Law hasn't forgotten Flevance. He is not someone who has forgotten the future! 
> 
> TW: Suicidal urges mentioned in the following paragraph.
> 
> This is just my opinion borne of my personal experiences with depression and suicidal urges, but some one who plans only to die is not someone who thinks about the future. Yes, they may leave a note. But that's usually as far as it goes. Law is thinking so much further than that.

Law never forgets she’s from Ohara. It’s not like he thinks about it all the time—he has more than enough to think about to keep him occupied from dwelling over long on any of the Strawhats. But in light of current events, his past is close to the surface, threatening to burst in blooms of white splotches that cannot and will not be hidden. So when he looks at the archaeologist, it is always with the knowledge of her history lurking in his thoughts.  
At times he’d like to talk to her about it, to compare tragedies—to start a tally of sins: Yours and Mine and Theirs. To confirm with clear data who the white monster, who the demon child really is. In the end though he already knows, as does she. Just as they’re both well aware of what they’ve done in the name of survival. The answer will always be hard to accept. After all, if it is true that a person is a monster, that person can learn to be something else, or at least a monster of a different kind. If it is the world that is the monster, then despite the power they’ve gained it may not be enough. (You can change yourself, but you can’t force that change on others.)  
But some things are not meant to be spoken of. At the end of the day he is the captain of another crew, and revealing any information about his background exposes weaknesses. Knowledge is power, just as force or control are. He’s risking enough as it is, with what he’s revealing just by taking action against Doflamingo with them. It has to be done. Law won’t risk his crew. There’s a reason there is a Heart Pirates uniform that covers up most identifiable features. Law is not the only one who needs to keep some secrets to himself. And Nico Robin has had enough taken from her; he will not take from her when he has nothing to offer in exchange. What would be the point in any of it anyway? There is nothing to be gained that either of them have not acquired already for themselves, by themselves.  
Still, there is a certain comfort to those nights when he is not the only one who can’t sleep. Those nights Nico-ya leaves the women’s sleeping quarters, makes a cup of coffee, and sits with a book in hand. And if she sometimes makes him a cup as well, maybe even sits nearby, he does not read any more into it than what they are: small acts of thoughtful kindness mixed with survival skills. Those habits learned over a lifetime of being hunted run bone deep.  
Her body language isn’t laid back or relaxed like it is when her whole crew is awake and running around like maniacs. She takes up space at night that she doesn’t during the day, with legs and arms spread out. Maybe a foot resting on top of another table or bench. She always makes the coffee, easily entering the domain of one of her nakama any time she desires. Law is their ally, for now. Not nakama. Not family. This is where she belongs, not him, and she makes sure he understands that when their hands touch as she hands him a cup of coffee, always standing over him. He meets her eyes calmly and takes the offering without moving his position. And when she leaves and pauses to look at him, Law nods and wishes her a goodnight. _I understand. They are yours. I do not plan on taking advantage. And understand what will happen if I do._  
This is her domain and he does not begrudge her it, nor get defensive about her need to protect it. Nico Robin is a dangerous woman. Any kindness she shows does not detract from that—only adds to it. For he knows what kind of strength it takes for one to not only live through Hell, but to come out of Hell willing to give someone, the world, just one more chance. He wonders how she protected her humanity. If she ever lost it as completely as he did, or merely hid it beneath as many layers of blossoming hands as it took to keep it alive—suffocating, perhaps, but alive—until the time came to cautiously reveal it, one finger at a time.  
But he does not ask about it and she does not tell him. Does not give Law any hints about whether she can see the ghosts that follow him as well. Then again, to survive Hell, one needs to be able to see the bruises death leaves, and they are obvious on him, for all he tries to claim them as those of his own making. Survival runs bone deep in him as well.  
For all the problems Strawhat brings he is worth it. Despite all the electrical surges Nico-ya’s brain is sending her to warn her of the danger that follows him like a plague (or a poison), there is no hesitation. She ensures he knows that she has an eye (or two, or five or ten) on him, but never objects to his presence. Her threats are subtle and practical, not those of ill-will or bloodlust. Strawhat instills trust more powerful than old pathways the brain lingers over. If Doflamingo is taken down, it will have to involve someone who can tear out the ancient crawling roots of conditioning.  
Confronting a source of trauma never goes as planned, no matter how vigorous the strategizing. Law has failed before. There is every chance that he will waver. When a person with PTSD freezes, it is not a matter of will or choice. It is the brain deciding that it needs to take over and paralyze all movement to keep the body safe. If Law’s body fails him, the will of D will still carry on.  
_The weak don’t get to choose the way they die,_ Doflamingo once told him. Well, he chose to live, then to die, then to live once more. If he dies here it will be of his choosing, but he will not be the stronger for it. The path to becoming more powerful means that he must live through this. At the very least, his will must. Law is, after all, a D. If even two D’s are not enough, Law’s will is instilled in every member of his crew. Their distance is as crucial for Law as it is for them, for all that none of them (including him) like it. Doflamingo may take his life, but he will never again hold Law’s will.  
Nor will he ever acquire Luffy’s, Law will make sure of that. He didn’t save Strawhat two years ago just to get him killed somewhere else, fighting a fight that is Law’s and the Heart Pirates’. Luckily, Strawhat has a duty to his own crew over Law’s. He will not let any of his crew get killed over this. Which is as it should be.  
Nico Robin and Law are both the last of their people, the last who carry on their ambition. If Law dies, he has passed on what he can of Flevance’s will to his crew, but still there will be no one of Flevance left. The city will ultimately end with his life. Ohara will last. Another will carry on to remind the World Government of their sins. . . .  
In the end, Law tells each of the Strawhats only what should be spoken.


	2. But Some Things Are Meant to Be Touched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We reach friendship stages 2 and 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-Wano, Post-Zou
> 
> Truthfully, I'm not entirely satisfied by how I ended it, but I've been sitting on this entire fic for much too long and want it done, haha.

Law gives the Strawhats the grand tour, just like they had for him what felt like a lifetime ago. (It’s not that his life is suddenly fixed now that he got revenge on Doflamingo. After all, Cora is still dead because of him, and Doflamingo has only ever been just the tip of the iceberg, a cog in the machine that Law wants to bring down.) Robo-ya asks all kinds of questions about the submarine, and those rare moments when he’s silent, Nose-ya’s curiosity rears its head. Robin is of course most interested in the library, and while a decent amount of the Hearts’ shared collection is made up of medical texts (they don’t have an operating theater just for show after all, Law ensures each member of his crew has at least some level of medical skill, no matter how long it takes for them to acquire it, or how much eptitude they may have for it), there are plenty of other books of all genres, including quite a few history books that Robin seems particularly interested in. (Law makes no mention of his issues of _Sora, Warrior of the Sea_ when Usopp finds some of the Heart Pirates’ comic books and expresses both interest and glee. Law also does not mention the rare copies he has of Flevance’s history and North Blue Traditions to Robin. And the only surviving copies of his parents’ medical journals and their one published book are all safely hidden in Law’s room, secured more tightly than any treasure. He’d spent most of his life tracking them down, and they are private and _his_ , and all the written record that’s left of his parents’ extensive research and breakthroughs in the world of medicine and surgery, their life work and pride and joy. Their legacy.) Zoro gives a nod of approval upon seeing the Hearts’ gymnasium. It’s a decent size, since Law’s crew is bigger than the Strawhats’ and many of them are martial artists who more regularly than the Strawhats sans the bouts of the fighting Sanji and Zoro get into. The Hearts all have their own specialties so there’s a wide variety of equipment. Some of it Zoro asks questions about, and it’s not long before some of Law’s crew take them under his wing and explain what it’s for and start discussing the merits and weaknesses of different weapons and fighting styles from across all four Blues.  
All around it’s a success. The four Strawhats are quieter and more serious, still aching for a captain and for nakama they had been separated from for two years, but that’s not to say that it is _calm_ by any stretch of the imagination. The Heart pirates are excited to have their captain back and their excitement soon brings the Strawhats back to their seemingly normally excitable, chaotic state of being. All in all, everyone is getting along fine. Largely, Law leaves the Strawhats to do their thing, as he adjusts back to being _home_ , and to feeling safer than he has since the day when the first symptoms of Amber Lead Syndrome began showing up. For the first time since his parents died, Law begins to keep somewhat of a regular schedule. By which he means, he ensures he eats at least one meal with his crew each day, and sticks around until everyone is finished.  
He had thought he knew his crew, and he does, but the last couple years had been so much plotting and planning and what-ifs, that Law had little time to just sit with them and _be_ there. He has more time on his hands now than he perhaps ever has, and his crew, having missed him, demand more of his time now than they had before their separation. It is because of these factors that Law picks up on some new details regarding his crew members. For instance, Penguin has always had a tendency to fidget with something, but Law hadn’t known that the 1424 special edition “Liar” beli coin from the Lvneel Kingdom that Law had once given him had become his item of choice to fidget with. (Law had had two of them, and that had been one of the few coins that Penguin had ever shown more than passing interest in, and he had always been one of the few people who ever showed any interest in Law’s collection to begin with. Other coin collectors might be scandalized by Penguin’s treatment of the coin, but Law couldn’t care less. After all, his own copy was in pristine condition and stored safely away.) Law was not the only one who noticed this detail either.  
“That’s an unusual coin.” Robin notes, eyeing it curiously as Penguin walks it across the backs of his fingers.  
“Hm?” Penguin takes a moment to realize what she’s referring to, it’s become such an unconscious action. “Oh, this?” He smiles, wide and bright, not at all the type of smile that he and most of the Heart Pirates have whenever the beautiful and formidable Nico Robin addresses usually them, but the innocent grin of a kid who had been given a surprise gift by someone they cared about—the type of smile Penguin had had when Law first handed him the coin. “Isn’t it cool!” He hands it over for Robin to take a closer look at. Something that irks Law, just slightly. It’s true that the coin isn’t his anymore, but it is a treasure, one he meant for Penguin. However Nico handles it carefully and with the true fascination of an archaeologist. “Law gave it to me! It’s a 1424 special edition coin from the Lvneel Kingdom, it’s commonly called the Liar coin, on account of it being a commemorative coin for Montblanc Noland, oh, ah, Noland is pretty famous in North Blue due to this children’s storybook about him,”  
“I’ve heard of it,” Robin interrupts gently. Usopp, drawn over by the mention of Noland, opens his mouth, likely to tell Penguin all about Noland’s descendent and Skypiea, but Robin gently silences him with a finger against his lips as Penguin continues his explanation, though she doesn’t take her eyes off the coin she is examining.  
“Oh! Well, the story’s kind of depressing and some of that reputation rubbed off onto the coin. People began saying that if a person paid with this coin, they planned on doing the payee deceit.”  
“That is quite the interesting history,” she says, sounding truly fascinated instead of politely dismissive. “You are quite knowledgeable.”  
Penguin turns red at the compliment, but doesn’t take credit. “Ah, I only know all that because of Law. He collects coins. I thought this one was cool so he gave me his extra copy and told me about it. He probably knows even more about it, if you’re interested.”  
“Oh? Is that so, Torao-kun?”  
It’s at this point Law belatedly wonders if he should have made an escape so as not to be drawn into more conversation than he’d like, but the excitement he can see in Robin’s eyes reminds him of the excitement he feels upon acquiring a new coin for his collection, so he nods instead. “Are you interested in coins, Nico-ya?”  
“I’m interested in all history, and historical artifacts.” She says and her smile is different than usual when she speaks to him. Softer, less guarded. More like the smile she had directed to him when her captain had entrusted Law into her keeping back at Dressrosa.  
He pauses, considering, before standing. “I’ll be right back,” he tells her and goes to fetch his collection. He comes back to a fresh pot of coffee and two cups. It’s a habit between them still when they both wind up in the same area during the dark hours of the night, but just as he left the coffee making to her when they were on the Sunny, she’s left it to him now that they’re on his ship. It gives him pause, and he’s not sure whether it’s a warning of some kind, but Robin smiles at him before he can think about it too much.  
“Penguin-san was kind enough to make us a fresh pot, he thought we’d want it as he expects we’ll be here a while. And he doesn’t expect to be back to make more, as he and Usopp have gotten into a discussion about Noland.”  
“Ah.”  
Law sits across from her and sets the large wooden case he’s carrying in front of her, then pours himself a fresh cup of joe. Robin peers through the glass top, examining the rows of coins nestled in velvet. He appreciates that, but then opens the lid for her anyway. He’s come prepared after all.  
“Ah, thank you.” She says as she accepts the cotton gloves he offers her. The coins are all neatly labeled with their country of origin and their date, but all of the small visual details that so interest people like them can be hard to see unless the coin is in one’s hands. One such coin is already held by its edges between her index and thumb. “Do you happen to have—”  
He hands her a magnifying glass. She frowns slightly as she peers through it.  
“This coin . . . it’s from Toroa, but it looks like the banner that displays the country’s motto has been replaced by chains.”  
Law leans forward excitedly. “This coin wasn’t sanctioned by the government. Word had just reached the country that Byron had been captured and sold as a slave, and there was a call for the government to do something, but he had been purchased by a Celestial Dragon and the government wouldn’t interfere.”  
“It looks like an official government coin in every other aspect.” Robin notes, her interest growing.  
“That’s because it was made by one of the official government minters. In protest he made a new press with this changed logo and made a batch of coins with it. He was caught after only one batch, but the coins were already in circulation.”  
“Ah, I had heard of the protests that occurred in Toroa, but had never heard of it extending to their currency.”  
“It’s not common knowledge, unless you’re a coin collector.” Law admits, with a small smile. “Not many of the coins made it very far, as the government sent agents to track them down and destroy them, so as a protest it didn’t get much mileage. And in light of all of the larger oppression going on, the government’s crackdown on the currency is more of a sidenote.”  
“Hm.” Robin leans back, still holding the coin delicately. “Even for someone like me who studies history, it can be all too easy that there is much information that is lost. After all, the victors don’t just rewrite history after the fact, they also try to control it as it happens. It’s always easier to find evidence of the larger or successful rebellions, rather than the smaller acts of protest.”  
Law lets the silence steep. He wonders what acts of protest she was thinking of. He wonders what she remembers of Ohara that there is no longer any trace of. He thinks about all of those futile acts of protest by the people of Flevance, which no one ever heard or saw. The World Government completely destroyed all evidence of Flevance. Except for him. But what point would there be in telling anyone of how his parents were so close to finding a cure, how they’d already found the true cause of the disease? No one was willing to listen then, and no one would be willing to listen now. The World Government is still too powerful. And yet, he was still alive. Nico-ya was still alive. Their lives were by themselves acts of protests. He wonders if the Strawhats truly understand how every day they are participating in a rebellion against the World Government and everything it stands for just by loving their nakame, just by accepting Nico-ya. He suspects Mugiwara-ya understands. After all, he’d seen first hand what the World Government does to those people it deems too evil to live. Portgas D. Ace . . . like Law, he’d lived under the radar for as long as possible. But Law doubts he ever felt truly free. Law certainly never has. There are moments when the sun throws back the shadows and all you see is light, but these are fleeting experiences, for the shadows are still looming threateningly from behind. Law learned from Portgas’s death as well. Someday, the truth will come out, and the world will turn against him. If Law is lucky enough, clever enough, and quick enough, he may be able to control how that day dawns. Portgas D. Ace was loved enough that a war was fought for him. Law is not so loved. Has gone out of his way to keep his connections (and vulnerabilities) as scarce as possible.  
“And yet, for all that is forgotten or hidden, the truth always seems to come out. One way or another.” Law muses quietly.  
Robin replaces the coin gently. She leans forward and rests her chin in her hand. Her other other hand reaches for a new coin to examine, while a third holds her cup of coffee. (Out of all the Devil Fruit users Law has ever met or seen, Nico-ya has the most mastery of her powers. Her ability to use them so comfortably in her every day life is a testament to her remarkable capabilities.) “Well, that’s thanks to people like you, Law.”  
And Law . . . he doesn’t quite know what she’s getting at. Earlier in their relationship, he’d take it as a threat or warning, but now . . . her posture is truly relaxed around him. Like he has only ever seen it be around her nakama. “Explain.” He’d like to say it’s a demand, but it’s definitely a request.  
“Archaeologists are important, but there is so much history, and so few of us. We can’t protect enough of it. It was hard enough to convince the World Government to preserve anything when Ohara was on good terms with them. Now . . . now the World Government won’t hear of preserving anything. The only way to truly to keep history alive is when people take an interest in it, whether it’s collecting coins of civilizations and societies long gone or whether it’s making maps of the world to document what one is currently seeing. . . . It is people and their desire to connect both to the past and the present that allow long-hidden truths to come to light. So as an archaeologist, I must thank you, Torao, for keeping these coins safe.”  
It is in this moment that Law makes his decision. “I will be right back Nico-ya.”  
The wooden box he brings back this time is much smaller, and much older. It has scratch marks and stains, but the coins inside are just as safe. He hesitates only a moment before opening it. None of the coins inside are labeled. He watches Nico-ya’s face carefully. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin all know of this box, they have been with him long enough. Maybe they even caught a glimpse of what lays inside. But Law has never shown anyone this collection. Robin puts the coin she is holding back in its place and crosses her arms in front of her on the tabletop, her eyes watching him closely. He takes a moment to breathe, then points to the first few coins, and her eyes follow. “These coins are from Flevance.” He does not give her their dates, he does not tell her their story. She does not reach for them or ask for a closer look. Nonetheless, he knows she knows what material these coins are made from, and he knows she can see the stains that still spot most of them, which she is sure to identify as having come from blood and ash, due to her profession. Still, she makes no comment. Both of them pretend his finger isn’t trembling.  
He moves to the next group, made up of two coins; one is the largest coin in Law’s collection at two inches in diameter and is octagonal with a hole in its center, the other is .65 inches and rectangular. “These are from the Void Century.” Her fingers twitch to hold these ones. He doesn’t take one out for her, but he does push the box closer for her, and gestures to the magnifying glass. He lets her take her time. She looks only at the Void Century coins. He’s curious as to what she learns from them, but doesn’t ask, and is glad that she doesn’t start a conversation about them. The next coins are the ones that truly matter right now, anyway. They are the reason he pulled out this box. He waits for her to look at them herself, but she is following his lead and waits until he moves his finger to them. He can see the moment she realizes what these are, the stunned disbelief. This time, it’s her fingers that tremble.  
“These are,” she starts, stops. These coins she does not hold like a collector or an archaeologist. These ones she cradles in her hand one by one, fingers cupped around them like she’s trying to protect them from the world. “I never even thought to—” She trails off, but Law thinks he understands. He never thought to see if anything was left either. And there wasn’t. Flevance was a plague city, and anything that was left was a threat and something people feared. Even on the black market, it was almost unheard of, for almost any amount of money. The coins Law had, he only had because they had been in his pocket when he escaped.  
“Ohara is not forgotten.” Law tells her quietly.  
“Tell me about them?” The question is quiet, almost timid.  
So he does.

And then he pulls out a small wooden coin collector box with a glass lid and velvet lining. One that’s designed to hold four coins, and slots the coins into their new home carefully, then hands the box to its new owner.  
“Thank you, Torao.”  
Law makes a new pot of coffee, and is slightly surprised that Nico-ya is still at the table waiting. But she smiles at him and as he refills their mugs, she points back to the original coin collection. “Would you tell me about the rest of these?” And because he’s gotten tired of leaning over the table to see the tiny details she comments on, he sits next to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration behind Law having coins from Flevance (and how he has them) is from the truly incredible fanfiction Middle Fingers in the Air by pand_em_onium and sull89. If you haven’t read that fic and you like Law/Kid, then I highly, highly recommend this fanfic!
> 
> One of the number one mistakes beginning coin collectors make is improperly cleaning their coins. I know there are some coins that should never be cleaned. This is why the coins from Flevance are noted to be stained. I do actually have a coin collection, due mostly to the fact that my father is a coin collector. I am certainly not an expert by any means. My dad knows much more than I do.
> 
> I did look up the One Piece timeline (thank God for the library of ohara website. It is an excellent resource for your OP research needs) and the list of kingdoms we know of. And some of the famous people mentioned. And then I tried to think of stories for the coins. I decided that the way currency in the OP world works is that countries had different currencies before the World Government alliance, but after that alliance (and the end of the void century), everyone converted to Beli gradually. However each country/region has their own mark (think of how the Euro works, essentially). On top of this, there are of course commemorative coins. I also do not think it unreasonable for Law to have Void Century coins. First of all, the Void Century was like 822 years ago if I’m doing math right (which, I might not be. It is not my strong point.). And I have definitely seen coins that old in coin collectors’ collections in real life. Also, you can’t tell me the Poneglyphs were the only things to survive from that century. The most important, perhaps, but I refuse to believe there aren’t some other artifacts. Why? Look at our own world. Just like in OP, governments have tried to erase centuries of history, and there are always, always people who manage to save some of it. 
> 
> Don't forget: Law is to his crew what Luffy is to the Strawhats. I hope some of that came through with how he treats Robin. I think perhaps he can reach those wounds that Robin has which the other Strawhats can't, and vice versa. They have both grown so much and come so far, and they both amaze me.


End file.
